A blessing in disguise

Jenny Marder

At the heart of a close-knit community that is largely made up of

low-income Latinos and that’s long been troubled by youth gangs and

crime, sits a center that strives to be a haven for those in need of

help.

When the city slashed the Oak View Community Center’s $140,000 in

annual funding from its budget in September 2002, many feared they

were losing one of Surf City’s jewels. Now, it looks like the move

was the best thing that could have happened to the neighborhood

center.

As part of the city’s effort to cut back on spending, management

of the Oak View Community Center was transferred from the city to the

Children’s Bureau, a nonprofit agency, on May 1. The Children’s

Bureau, which already operated the Family Resource Center on the same

site, was no stranger to the community center.

The two centers have fused into one, now called the Oak View

Family and Community Center.

“In such a densely populated community, people can walk right in

and get health services and assistance in signing up for insurance,”

said Donna White, program manager for Children’s Bureau.

The main gymnasium was packed Saturday for an open house to raise

awareness about services and programs offered at the center -- a list

that’s been growing ever since the change in management. Women with

babies at their hips wandered from booth to booth, and children

decked out in colorful Halloween costumes crowded around games.

This fall, scores of new services are being offered for mothers.

At a Well Baby Clinic, parents can get medical help and free

immunizations for their children. A program for pregnant and new

mothers provides information on nutrition and child development as

well as diapers, formula and food vouchers.

The center houses a bevy of other services for the community at

large, such as literacy programs, gang prevention services, in-home

child and family counseling and outreach to potential and existing

foster and adoptive families.

On any given day, roughly 100 students attend the center’s

after-school program, which provides sports and recreation activities

for at-risk youth. In a small structure adjacent to the Oak View

Elementary School, clusters of children take turns at the pool

tables, battle each other at Ping-Pong or work diligently at arts and

crafts in one of several classrooms.

Behind the building are basketball and handball courts as well as

several athletic fields.

“In the heart of the most needed area of the city, families really

know where to go,” Director of Programs Sharon Wie said.

Most of the programs and classes have been moved from a trailer,

which was hidden behind the Oak View Elementary School and easy to

miss, to the community center clubhouse, a locale that provides more

space and better visibility.

“This allows us to have street-front visibility, which makes it

more accessible,” White said.

The center’s aim is to care for and protect at-risk children, to

prevent child abuse and neglect and to provide activities and

services that build strong families. Most services are offered in

English and Spanish and are free for Huntington Beach residents.

“We’re bringing these services right into the neighborhood,” said

Ann Atia, the family resource center coordinator. “Services that used

to be provided away from Oak View are now being provided here.”

The center also offers programs and classes that are based on

community interest. Jewelry-making classes, sewing classes and

women’s aerobics have been extremely popular this season, Atia said.

“We tailored for what they were asking for,” Atia said.

Despite a gloomy day with air clouded by ash from nearby

wildfires, nearly 300 attended the center’s open house. In addition

to resource booths were games, raffles and Halloween-inspired costume

contests for the children.

Lyn Brammer, director of community services at the Children’s

Bureau lauded the event as a great success.

“The community responded with a show of 250 parents and children

that participated in the activities and the health fair,” Brammer

said. “The community was very excited to have the center dedicated

for them.”

For more information about the Oak View Family and Community

Center, call (714) 596-7062.

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at jenny.marder@latimes.com.